British Airways plans in-flight wi-fi

UK national carrier British Airways plans to offer wi-fi high in the sky.

BA is joining with UK satellite company Inmarsat to introduce what it claims will be super-fast and reliable broadband aboard all its aircraft while in the air.

ITPro says that Inmarsat plans to spend around £250 million to develop the ground network required to supply the wi-fi signal at 38,000 feet.

It quotes Kate Thornton, head of product and service at British Airways, as saying that the airline is in discussions with Inmarsat about the in-flight internet service.

“Starting with UK domestic routes Inmarsat intends to deploy Europe’s first ground-based 4G broadband network giving our customers the internet access they expect on the ground while in the air,” she said.

Europe lags far behind the US, where wi-fi is already widely available to air travellers.

Stuart is an Australian journalist who has been living in London for the past 11 years, and was formerly the Technology Production Editor for the Guardian newspaper and website. He drinks way too much coffee.